Nick Srnicek: Assemblage Theory, Complexity and Contentious Politics. The Political Ontology of Gilles Deleuze (2007)
Filed under thesis | Tags: · assemblage, complexity, individuation, ontology, philosophy, politics, social constructivism, speculative realism
The purpose of this thesis is to reconsider the nature of ontology in contemporary political science, with the belief that such a move can be of great benefit to understanding changes in our era of globalization and terrorism. This is accomplished by examining the ontologies of both social constructivism and critical realism in order to show their reliance upon illegitimate presuppositions, and then developing a novel ontological position on the basis of these criticisms.
Gilles Deleuze’s concept of assemblages – and his ontology, more generally – are examined as particularly powerful ways to conceptualize the complexity, dynamism and differences that are inherent to the political world. This is brought out concretely in a study of recent academic work on contentious politics in order to show the centrality of conflict and difference to politics, and to show the power of a reconceptualization of ontology.
Keywords: Deleuze; Bhaskar; individuation; ontology; complexity; contentious politics; critical realism; assemblages; social constructivism
Unpublished MA Thesis
The University of Western Ontario, 2007.
The Social Construction of Technological Systems: New Directions in the Sociology and History of Technology (1987)
Filed under book | Tags: · history of technology, invention, neuroscience, social constructivism, sociology, sociology of science, technology
The impact of technology on society is clear and unmistakable. The influence of society on technology is more subtle. The 13 essays in this book draw on a wide array of case studies from cooking stoves to missile systems, from 15thÂcentury Portugal to today’s AI labs – to outline an original research program based on a synthesis of ideas from the social studies of science and the history of technology. Together they affirm the need for a study of technology that gives equal weight to technical, social, economic, and political questions.
Edited by Wiebe E. Bijker, Thomas P. Hudges and Trevor J. Pinch
Publisher MIT Press, 1987
ISBN 0262022621, 9780262022620
419 pages
Key words and phrases: cognitivism, azo dyes, ultrasound, expert systems, Parkesine, Michel Callon, Trevor Pinch, sociology of science, gyroscope, social constructivist, consumption junction, Wiebe Bijker, Elmer Sperry, Congo red, nitrocellulose, Cape Bojador, accelerometer, turbojet, Ruth Schwartz Cowan, Celluloid
PDF (updated on 2012-8-3)
Comment (0)